Online Store Services and Delivery Is the Main Factor Driving High Satisfaction with Online Shoe Retailers

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WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 4 December 2012 — While price is a primary stated reason consumers choose an online shoe retailer, analysis of the data reveals that online store services and delivery--which includes ease of placing an order, variety of delivery options and speed of delivery--is the main driver of overall satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Online Shoe Retailer Satisfaction ReportSM released today.

The report measures overall satisfaction with online shoe retailers among consumers who have completed a purchase from an online shoe retailer website in the past 12 months. The report examines seven factors (listed in order of importance): online store services and delivery; in-stock availability of merchandise; variety of merchandise offered; competitiveness of pricing; usefulness of information; website/online store; and contact with customer service. The relative importance of contact with customer service in driving overall satisfaction is low, as only 14 percent of online consumers indicate that they contacted customer service; however, among those who contacted customer service, this becomes the most important factor.

Overall satisfaction with online shoe retailers averages 824 (on a 1,000-point scale). The report finds that, while more than 70 percent of online shoe shoppers select their online retailer because of price, and 29 percent due to sales and promotions, additional influential reasons cited by those consumers who ultimately selected one of the highest-ranked retailers include consumer feedback regarding brand reputation, positive reviews, past experience with the retailer and recommendations from family and friends.

"The highest-ranked online shoe retailers perform well in online store services and delivery, as well as in-stock availability of merchandise and variety of merchandise offered," said Sara Wong Hilton, director at J.D. Power and Associates. "A business model focusing primarily on satisfying customers through price may be missing what is most important to them, and they may not return to repurchase from that online retailer the next time they're shopping for shoes."

Online Shoe Retailer Satisfaction Rankings

Zappos.com ranks highest with a score of 848, performing particularly well in online store services and delivery; variety of merchandise offered; website/online store; and usefulness of information. Following Zappos.com in the rankings are endless.com (844)1, which performs particularly well in usefulness of information, and OnlineShoes.com (838), which performs particularly well in in-stock availability of merchandise.

"Zappos.com has demonstrated a balanced approach to overall satisfaction, delighting customers with a wide selection of shoes and shoe accessories, exemplary service and an easy-to-use, informative website," said Wong Hilton. "Price alone is not enough to satisfy customers in this very competitive market."

The 2012 Online Shoe Retailer Satisfaction Report is based on responses from 2,464 consumers who made an online purchase from an online shoe retailer in the past 12 months. Invitations to participate in the online survey were sent via email to online panelists in October and November 2012.

1 On Sept. 27, 2012, endless.com became part of Amazon.com/Fashion.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, J.D. Power and Associates and Platts, a leader in commodities information. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

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